


Sacred Red

by loki_of_jotunheim



Series: What Makes A Family? [1]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Eliot Spencer Still Working for Damien Moreau, Self-Insert, reference to a suicide attempt at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 18:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15757728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loki_of_jotunheim/pseuds/loki_of_jotunheim
Summary: What do you do when you have no choice?





	Sacred Red

“Ulia Selena Katinava! Come downstairs please!” 

“Coming, мать!” Ulia, a girl of 8 years, appeared at the top of the staircase, clutching her bookbag with essentials as requested. “Mama?” 

“These are the men I told you about.” Ulia’s mother replied, not showing any emotion. “Go with them. Do not disappoint this family.” 

“Yes, мать.” Ulia replied quietly. Something felt off. Oh well, it was probably just her being paranoid, as she had been lately, with the visitors in the house. She followed the men out the door calmly. “What should I address you by?”

“Sir is acceptable for both of us.” The second man said, not turning to look at us. “Please remain quiet in the car.” 

“Yes, sir.” Ulia thought this was all very strange, but then her family was, to begin with. This was probably for her safety since her family was so well known to the mobs around the world. They  _ were  _ the mob that ran this area. She didn’t feel anything one way or another, despite being asked that by a classmate. That was just how it was. 

As the car pulled into a new driveway, the niggling feeling that had been bothering her finally came into clarity. 

Her parents hadn’t told her when she’d be back. 

 

A few hours after their arrival at the mansion, Ulia was summoned from the simple yet elegant bedroom to the office at the end of the hall. She pushed a stray hair out of her face and knocked on the dark door. A second later, permission to enter was given and so she did, cataloging the room as she went.  A man in a crisp suit sat at the desk, feet propped up against the top as he cleaned his 9mm handgun. 

“Sit down, please.” He requested. Ulia sat down across from him, hands folded neatly in her lap like her mother had taught her. “My name is Damien Moreau. You may, for now, call me Mr. Moreau, or sir. Your parents have handed you over to me for training. As of now,” The man shuffled some papers on his desk, “You legally are my ward.” 

Ulia didn’t react externally. This was just confirmation of what she had suspected. She forced down the crying child in her chest. That wouldn’t help anyone. “Your schedule will be delivered shortly. Punishment for deviating is harsher than you are used to. You are dismissed.” 

Ulia nodded and stood up off the chair. She walked back down, face emotionless as she entered her bedroom. She unpacked her clothing and then sat down to read a book that was on the shelf. 

She didn’t notice the man watching from the doorway. When she did finally look up, he was gone. 

 

“Do you yield or should I just kill you?” Ulia asked calmly from her position on top of Chapman. “I don’t care either way.” 

“Let him up, I still need him.” Damien Moreau waved his hand and Ulia released the head of security. They shook hands and Ulia wiped off the sweat that had gathered. “Good job today, Ulia.”

“Thank you, Damien.” She replied. “Anything I need to target specifically?”  
“You dropped your right arm a little and that could have been used against you.” Eliot Spencer, Moreau’s top assassin, walked out from the shadows. “Other than that it was very good. May I train with her next session?” 

“Go ahead, it should be interesting,” Damien replied. “I might put you in charge of her, actually. Would that be acceptable?”

“Yes,” Eliot replied. “Get me her schedule and I’ll see if there’s anything that needs to be changed.” 

“It’s been the same for 3 years now, I wouldn’t mind a change in pace once in a while,” Ulia added. “If that’s alright, of course.” 

“That should be fine. Eliot, I’ll leave you to your protege.” Eliot nodded and turned to Ulia. 

“You’re moving up in the ranks quite quickly.” He commented. 

“I suppose? I don’t really know, this is similar to the pace when I was with my parents.” Ulia shrugged, and they began cooling down. 

 

Several days later, there was a huge meeting of pretty much all of the top Lts in Moreau’s organization. 

“Ulia! I have an assignment for you.” Ulia walked over to Moreau, accepting the envelope without comment. She flipped through the contents, nodding curtly at him after she finished. 

“It mentioned a partner?” She asked, her Russian heritage shining through faintly as it did once in a while. 

“Elliot Spencer, my best.” Eliot, wearing a leather wristband, walked towards them from across the crowded room. It was as if he was a knife, cutting through softened butter. “He’ll be the lead on this one.” 

“Yes, sir.” Ulia replied, turning to face her mentor. “Eliot.”

“Ulia.” Spencer accepted the envelope and read the contents quickly. “Let’s go.”

 

“You’ll be the primary distraction,” Eliot told her as they drove through downtown Moscow. “I’ll come in, snap his neck, and then we’ll blend.” 

“Yes, sir.” Ulia replied. Eliot glanced at her and then they began setup. Ulia knew Eliot usually worked alone and tried to stay out of his way as a courtesy. The mission went successfully and soon they stood in front of Moreau debriefing.  

“Good job... Any recommendations, Elliot?” 

“Based on her performance today, she’s probably best as a solitary worker,” Eliot told Damien gruffly. “She was a good partner if the need arises again. I assume I’m still in charge of her training?” 

“Good to know and yes, you are. You’re dismissed, Ulia, stay here a moment.” Eliot nodded and headed out the office door to the staircase and after he had gone Moreau turned to Ulia. “Based on that, your next assignment will be alone. You may go.” 

“Yes, sir.” Ulia went back to her bedroom. Damien smiled. She was very good. 

 

Ulia slipped out of the door and stood silently, cloaked by the shadows, listening to the men talk. Eliot had been gone for years now. She made a decision. It was time for her to go too. 

 

“Let me go!” The dark-clothed girl spat, twisting out of Eliot’s grasp and standing wearily in front of him with her back to the wall. “I’m not here to interfere, I swear!” Eliot crossed his arms and didn’t move. 

“Then why are you here?” He growled. He didn’t seem to recognize her and Ulia breathed an internal sigh of relief. 

“I’m getting some information for myself. That’s all. What are you doing here?” She retorted. 

“Taking down a corrupt scientist,” Eliot replied. Ulia was taken aback but then grinned. 

“That sounds so much better than what I’m doing. Can I join in? Just for this?” Eliot studied her for a moment and made a decision. 

 

“Nate, she’s joining in for this. We need an extra person on this end anyway.” Nate didn’t argue, just warned him to be careful, and Eliot replied affirmatively. “You’re in. I’m Eliot.” 

“I’m Julia.” She replied. Eliot gestured for her to follow as they entered the building. They had a lot to do. One of which was figuring out why Eliot felt like he’d met this girl before.

 

Eliot watched the newcomer critically as she helped him disable the guards. She was restraining herself a lot, almost like he did. There was something familiar about her. She reminded him of something. 

Some _ one _ . 

It all clicked, and as soon as they were clear Eliot removed his earbud and slammed her up against the wall. She froze when she met his gaze. They were round, filled with fear but also resignation. That confirmed it for him. 

“Ulia.” He growled. 

“I really am here for the reason I said!” She rushed out. “I’m not working for him anymore! I left 7 years ago. I was 25.” Eliot knew this already, he’d heard of it through his associates, but he wanted to get it from her, so he didn’t let up. 

“What did you want to join my crew for?” 

“A new start.” She admitted, exhaustedly. “Safety. I’m tired of not having a focus. And… I’d like to try and do some good at some point.” 

“Why’d you leave Moreau?” Eliot wanted to know. He’d heard of her departure and what it had done to Moreau’s group. He didn’t know why, though. 

“I never had the choice to be there to begin with!” She slowly grew angry as she talked. “My parents sold me at 8 for $10,000. I may have had the choice to stay but I never had the choice to be there in the first place! I was tired of being his bloody pawn! I’m not something to sell!” She stopped. “He was going to ask me to help with human trafficking for the first time. At that point I was out.” 

Elliot nodded and after a second, released her. 

“Welcome to the crew.” He told her gruffly. “What happened next?”

“I threw myself off of a building. It was dark. I didn’t see that there was a river below. I survived.” She didn’t meet his eyes, twisting her fingers. “I just ran for a while. Eventually I got a cash job and then found other odd jobs. Made some money through that and tried to start something new. It didn’t really work.” Eliot surprised Ulia by pulling her into a hug. She returned it after a second. 

“I’m glad you’re still alive.” He told her. “Let’s go get this scientist.”

“With pleasure.” Ulia grinned. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is a self-insert fanfiction. No, I'm not going to apologize for it. Plot bunnies are plot bunnies. 
> 
> This is a prequel to my future work coming up that I'm still working on. I hope you enjoyed this and I beg of producers to #BringBackLeverage! The show is amazing and the characters are so, so well done. I want more Parker and Eliot as characters dangit! I want to see Hardison, Parker and Eliot continue the Leverage business!
> 
> мать is a more formal version of mother in Russian, to my limited knowledge. Thanks, google. If it's wrong lemme know and I'll change it, because despite the fact I was born in Russia, I don't speak it.


End file.
